Gujarat Chief Minister Vijaybhai Rupani on Monday launched the State-wide Measles-Rubella vaccination drive from Gandhinagar to cover about 1.5-crore children in the age group of 9-month to 15-year across the State.
Speaking on the occasion, he said the drive would spread over five weeks to cover school-going children up to Standard-X in the first two weeks, those going to Anganwadis in the next two weeks and those left out in the fifth and last week, to ensure no single child remains uncovered.
He said the State’s Health Department has deputed 10,000 vaccinators, divided into teams to cover the target in 70,000 sessions and similarly 40,000 Asha workers for 50,000 Anganwadis. He sought the support of all citizens, parents, schools and voluntary organisations to make a success of the drive, to ensure no single child remains uncovered. This is part of the nation’s biggest injectable vaccination drive in 20 States to prevent the disease by 2020.
Meanwhile Rupani dedicated development projects worth Rs 175 crore to people of his home-town Rajkot on Sunday late evening. Addressing a public meeting there he said that BJP ruled Government in Gujarat is taking necessary steps to fulfil the pledge of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide homes to everyone by 2022. As a part of this, 17,500 houses have been provided to residents in Rajkot city alone, so far, while another 6,000 houses are under construction, he added. The Government is not just providing houses but also providing amenities like electricity, water, sewerage, roads and others, said the CM.
“With a view to provide drinking water from sea waters to Rajkot city, the Government is setting up desalination plant at a cost of Rs 700-crore at Jodia in neighbouring Jamnagar district. Under the Ujwala Yojna, to make the cooking smoke free for the women, the Government has chalked out a plan to provide gas cylinder to 24-lakh beneficiaries in Gujarat. Of them, so far, 15-lakh gas cylinders have already been provided to the beneficiaries,” he claimed.